Biography
Ebrahimian’s research focuses on the linkages between urban and environmental hydrology, green stormwater infrastructure, urban floods, stormwater runoff generation and land-based pollution dynamics in urban and coastal areas. He also develops multicriteria decision support tools that aid in addressing complex problems in sustainable and resilient civil infrastructure systems. His research integrates sensor-based field monitoring and laboratory experiments with site-to-watershed-scale hydrologic and water quality modeling, geographic information systems, remote sensing, AI/machine learning, and data-driven multicriteria decision and risk analysis. While varying in scope, all his projects share a common goal: advancing flood and environmental resilience in urban and coastal areas through improved infrastructure and innovative nature-based solutions.
Since joining FIU in August 2020, Ebrahimian has launched the first comprehensive urban green stormwater infrastructure monitoring program in South Florida, along with cross-disciplinary projects on the source, fate, transport, and treatment of legacy and emerging pollutants (sediments, nutrients, metals, microplastics) in stormwater systems. He has leveraged the FIU campus as a living laboratory and partnered with local governments and industry to establish multiple green infrastructure sites across the greater Miami area, serving as platforms for research, demonstration, experiential learning, and community engagement.
Before joining FIU, Ebrahimian was a Research Professor at the Center for Resilient Water Systems at Villanova University, where he collaborated closely with Philadelphia Water Department’s $2.4 billion “Green City, Clean Waters” program to advance the state of knowledge on planning, modeling, design, monitoring, and maintenance of green stormwater infrastructure. Between 1998-2011, he worked as a consulting engineer, modeler, designer, systems analyst, and project manager in various disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies on urban water supply and stormwater management.
Ebrahimian is an active member of ASCE-EWRI, where he serves as Technical Chair of the 2026 International Low Impact Development Conference as well as on several technical committees. He also serves on various national and state-level proposal review panels and reviews manuscripts for more than 20 leading journals in his field.
Recent Honors and Awards
- Rising Star, Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida, 2025
- Faculty Advisor Award, Chi Epsilon, The National Civil Engineering Honor Society, 2025
- Top Scholar Award for Research and Creative Activities, FIU,2024-2025
- Rewarding Excellence in Teaching Incentives (RETI) Award, FIU, 2024
- Best Paper Award, Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment, ASCE, 2023
- Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment, ASCE, 2022
Education
- Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, 2015
- MS, Civil/Water Resources Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 2000
- BS, Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 1997